בס”ד הריני בא ללמוד תורה לשמה לעשות נחת רוח לאבינו שבשמים ARBA ARBA MINIM SUCCAH USHPIZIN SHEMINI ATZERES SHEMINI OnegShabbos TORAH SIMCHAS זמן שמחתנו Succos Edition תשע"ח 2017 Welcome Contents The intense forty day period between Elul and Yom Kippur RABBI OZER ALPORT _____________23, 41 is now behind us and we would be forgiven for RABBI MEYER AMAR _____________24 wanting to take it easy and relax. Instead, as soon as RABBI YAAKOV BENNETT _________45 we have broken our fast we go outside and start to RABBI DOV BIRNBAUM ___________17 prepare the Succah. The days between Yom Kippur RABBI DOVID EISENBERG _________28 and Succos are so hectic that Chazal even say that RABBI DANIEL FINE ______________6, 21, 25 we don’t even have any time to do aveiros! RABBI MORDECHAI FULDA ________14 Zman Simchaseinu, (the days of Succos, Shmini Azeres and RABBI YEHONASAN GEFEN ________18, 29, 31 Simchas Torah) is a Divinely mandated strategy for maintaining RABBI JONATHAN GEWIRTZ _______39 that which we have achieved over the Yamim Noraim. At Neilah RABBI YOSSI GOLDBERG __________47 we feverishly beg Hashem for rachamim, through invoking His RABBI AUBREY HERSH ___________48 thirteen middos. We ask for more time to be able to fulfil our RABBI DOVID HOFFMAN __________16 potential and in His great mercy, we are invariably granted that RABBI DANNY KADA _____________8 wish. RABBI DANNY KIRSCH ___________30 Hashem then invites us to take our day to day activities and RABBI CHAIM LAIZOREK __________11 live with Him in the Succah, in the shade of emunah, rejoicing RABBI BENJI LANDAU ____________26 in the awareness of the security of His constant protection. In RABBI BINYOMIN MARKS _________33 doing so, He is waiting to see how we behave in our Succos, have RABBI BENJY MORGAN ___________13 we acted upon our kabbalos and resolutions for the new year, or RABBI ALEX NADLER _____________22 have we just returned to our old routine? Put very simply, this is RABBI ELIEZER PARKOFF __________ the significance of the chasimas hadin of Hoshana Rabba that 15 comes at the end of the first six days of rejoicing. RABBI SHMULI SAGAL ____________5, 35, 40 RABBI YITZCHOK SANDLER ________ Once we have achieved this final stage of the teshuva process, 10 we are ready to go back into our homes on Shmini Atzeres. We RABBI YAAKOV YOSEF SCHECHTER _37, 42 can put down our arba minim, our spiritual ‘tools’ and spend RABBI NAFTALI SCHIFF ___________46 time ‘alone’ rejoicing with Hashem. The association of Shmini RABBI MEIR SHINDLER ___________44 Atzeres with Simchas Torah teaches us the all-important RABBI ZVI TEICHMAN ____________3 message that the way to take the light and inspiration of the DAYAN ELIMELECH VANZETTA ______19 month of Tishrei into the coming year is through Hashem’s RABBI ALAN WILKINSON __________34 Torah, which we conclude and immediately begin again, ההההה ה‘ hopefully with an enhanced appreciation and with deeper insights. Published by Jam Events www.jam-events.com On behalf of the Oneg Shabbos team, we hope that these Printed in England In conjunction with the Oneg Shabbos publication divrei Torah enhance your Yom Tov table and that your Succos Quiz Time Questions provided by Living with and homes are filled with true simchas Yom Tov. Mitzvos www.livingwithmitzvos.com Many thanks are due to all those involved in producing Designed by Kwirkee Ltd [email protected] this publication, both the Rabbonim who have given of their Printed & distributed by Scanprint (Tzeterlech Gehungen) 07973 449 275 valuable time lezakos es harabbim and all those involved in the Bio photos by David Chesner and others technical side of the operation. May all of them be blessed with If you enjoyed this publication please help in a gmar chasima tova and may Hashem enable them to continue supporting the cost of production. their avodas hakodesh for many years to come. Bank Transfer Account name BHNY LTD Wishing you, your families and all of Klal Yisrael and Sort code 60 -14 -27 wonderful Yom Tov. Account no 565 778 34 Reference (Please use your name as reference) International payments RABBI YONASAN ROODYN Natwest Bank IBAN GB19NWBK60142756577834 Oneg Shabbos Editor in Chief BIC / SWIFT NWBKGB2L Jewish Futures Trust Cheques and vouchers made payable to BHNY Federation ShailaText and sent to: Oneg Shabbos C/O Jam Events (UK) Limited, 36-38 Waterloo Road, London NW2 7UH For questions on Divrei Torah please contact the Editor in Chief, Rabbi Yonasan Roodyn Thank you to the Federation [email protected] for its continuing support of communal projects including this Oneg Succos Edition Overview of Succos & Shemini Atzeres RABBI ZVI TEICHMAN SUCCOS & Congregation Ohel Moshe, Baltimore, MD The author can be contacted at [email protected] SHEMINI ATZERES At the conclusion of Succos it is customary to wish one another a gezunter vinter, a healthy winter. Has the winter already begun? Are we simply concerned with the cold and severe weather that lays ahead that might adversely affect our health? rom the beginning of Elul service of Nisuch HaMayim, Libation was duped into eating of the we have begun an attempt of Water, from morning to morning forbidden fruit by the cunning snake. to ward off the effects of without going to sleep formally After all if he would’ve been up and sleep. Among those of and merely catching a few winks in around he might have stifled the FSephardic descent the program of the Temple, momentarily on each snake’s efforts. The Midrash reveals before daybreak Selichos takes place other’s shoulders. that ‘he was sleeping’. from the onset of Elul. For those of Why is there this recurrent theme Was Adam not entitled to a little Ashkenazic heritage it is initiated a to fend off sleep during these Days of respite from the ceaseless, action week before Rosh Hashana. Awe and Joy? packed day of man’s creation? The universal custom to blow the What deeper message lays in this When Adam is confronted by Shofar afterShacharis each day is, as calling for spiritual ‘insomnia’? Hashem as to why he ate from the the Rambam asserts, an attempt to Ironically after all these ‘sleepless’ Tree of Knowledge, he responds by ‘arouse those who are ‘sleeping’ from days it all comes crashing down as simply saying “the woman whom You their slumber’. we suddenly face the ‘long nights gave to be with me - she gave me of On Rosh Hashana we are of winter’ that beckon us to bury the tree and I ate”. encouraged not to sleep during the ourselves cosily under the covers The Talmud points out that Adam day ‘lest our mazal sleep’ as well. warding off the cold winds of winter. was faulted for this statement During the days when the Temple Truth be told on the very first as it displayed an almost cynical stood, on Yom Kippur, the Kohen historical ‘Day of Judgment’, the day ingratitude to Hashem for this Gadol would ward off sleep the entire Adam and Chava were created, when magnificent gift of a wife that night remaining vigilantly awake they were taken to task and held Hashem had so graciously given him. through the entire Yom Kippur. accountable for partaking from the What was Adam thinking? Is it On the holiday of Succos the Tree of knowledge, Adam took his possible that he was so callous in his Talmud describes how for all the first nap. response to blame Hashem for his interim days of the holiday, which at The Midrash inquires as to the own folly? Was Adam absconding times numbered six consecutive days, whereabouts of Adam when Chava from his personal responsibility in they joyously celebrated the special the matter? CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 1. The sukkos we build come to remind us of how the Jews had them when leaving Mitzrayim. This means that really the festival of Sukkos should be celebrated in the month QUIZ ?TIME ? livingwithmitzvos.com of Nissan, the time of the exodus. Why then do we celebrate it in the month of Tishrei? 3 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 The Ramban here interprets Adam’s Evidently being thankful for a gift ‘Sleep’ represents a lapse of retort not as a critical one but rather doesn’t display true appreciation for consciousness. We may be walking as an innocent and sincere assertion it. Only if one ponders and delves around daily seemingly awake and by Adam of his placing his absolute into its nature, understanding the animated but we are really sleep- faith in this ‘helpmate’ that Hashem subtleties of its qualities, can one walking, plodding mindlessly through Himself had provided for him. Adam truly show gratitude. A formal ‘thank life. We give our perfunctory ‘thank honestly thought that she couldn’t you’ doesn’t cut it, one must truly yous’ along the journey without ever possibly be misleading him and he appreciate the depths of its essence truly fathoming the depths of what therefore acceded to her request to to truly become grateful for what one we have been granted. eat as well. has received. Our poor performance in carrying If this assertion is correct, then why Had Adam spent the time out the will of Hashem generally was he taken to task for being guilty curiously valuing and studying the stems from a deficient appreciation of ingratitude, au contraire, after all nature of this gift called ‘woman’, of the profundity of that relationship he had so valued this gift as to trust understanding her unique character and the deep abiding love He has for all of us. We begin the journey of ‘return’ and rectification of man’s initial flaw of ingratitude, through the marvellous experience of Elul/Tishrei.